New Delhi: Hollywood is experiencing its first major strike in 63 years, with thousands of film and television actors joining writers who went on strike 11 weeks ago. On Thursday, the union representing Hollywood actors formally declared a strike, escalating the dispute between Hollywood employees and studio executives over wages, AI technology, and how to divide the profits of the new digital streaming era, as reported by The Guardian.
It’s the first time two major Hollywood unions have been on strike at the same time since 1960 when Ronald Reagan was the Actors’ Guild president.
The strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra), began on Friday. The Hollywood writers had already gone on strike in early May protesting outside the headquarters of Disney and Netflix after their similar demands were not met.
Now the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been joined by some of Sag-Aftra’s 160,000 members.
"This is a moment of history, a moment of truth -- if we don't stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble," SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told a press conference, following the union board's unanimous vote to strike.
"At some point, you have to say no: we are not going to take this any more," Fran Drescher, the Sag-Aftra president, further added. "You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not change the contract too."
Series And Movie Releases Face Lengthy Delay:
Popular television series are facing lengthy delays due to the shutdown of practically all projects and film sets. Movie companies have already begun rescheduling their plans, and if the strike continues, major film releases may be delayed as well. Additionally, at the height of the summer blockbuster season, a strike stops performers from promoting some of the year's greatest titles.
Production of popular series like 'Stranger Things', and 'The Handmaid's Tale' now face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, major films could be postponed too. In addition to that, the cast of the most-awaited film 'Oppenheimer' walked out of the glitzy London premiere in solidarity with the strike.
"We know it's a critical time at this point in the industry and the issues that are involved need to be addressed -- there are difficult conversations," British actor Kenneth Branagh said on the red carpet just before the strike was announced. "I know everybody's trying to get a fair deal, that's what's required, so we'll support that."
Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.com Inc's Prime Video will continue to provide local-language shows produced in countries like Korea and India, while their Hollywood productions would be halted.
The Terms Of The Strike:
Under the terms of the strike, actors are barred from making personal appearances or promoting their work on podcasts or at premieres. They are also forbidden from doing any production work, including auditions, readings, rehearsals, or voiceovers, as well as actual filming. While international shoots technically can continue, the stoppage among U.S.-based writers and performers is likely to have a drag on those too.
Additionally, the strike also casts a shadow over the impending 75th Emmy Awards, the nominations for which were released just a day earlier. Actors are not permitted to give interviews or promote the awards, and they are not permitted to attend the ceremony.
The previous strike by the actors' union lasted more than three months, in 1980. This time, over 98 per cent of members voted to pre-approve industrial action if an agreement could not be reached.